Petrossian – caviar dreams and champagne wishes

Like Nozomi, Petrossian appeared on my radar after a tweet by Kung Food Panda. When Blackboard Eats tacked up a 30% off deal, I quickly grabbed it and off I went, Husband in tow, on the last day the deal was valid. I’m not one to procrastinate, after all…

Petrossian is a well-known name in the caviar world, having been in the import business for over 80 years. It’s no surprise that many items on the menu feature caviar. My experience with the delicacy at that point was only with sushi in the form of smelt roe garnishing California rolls and my one time eating salmon roe nigiri, which I didn’t altogether enjoy, honestly. I was sure that the roe at the sushi joints I frequented had nothing on what Petrossian carried so I promised myself that I would order something with caviar on my visit. I had to have a proper introduction to this fine food.

Pink bubbly

As I tend to do whenever I’m excited about a visiting a new dining spot, I went online and carefully examined the menu, factoring in recommendations from various foodies who had been before. I mapped out my meal in my head along with 2nd and 3rd choice alternatives. I also figured out what to recommend to Husband if he did the “I don’t know if I will like anything” thing. My momma always taught me to be prepared and yes, I’m fairly Type A.

I started with a hibiscus champagne. Bubbly, a little dry and sweetened by the candy-like flower bud, this was a fabulous drink to whet my appetite. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that the bud was edible till after my empty glass had been cleared away!

Cuppa Mushroom

Being a mushroom lover, I ordered the mushroom cappucino. When the soup dish arrived, it was served in a little coffee cup and had a frothy foam on top. So that’s why they call it “cappucino…. Cute! Garnished with croutons and chives, this was a delicious drink of rich mushroom flavor. My adoration for it grew the more I ate. I think my only complaint about this dish was I wish, instead of the little cup, it was served in one of those over-sized coffee mugs. That way, I could have more! Actually, I’d have been in bliss if I got the whole pot…

Can't resist trying the mac n' cheese

Next was the truffled mac n’ cheese. I had high hopes for this dish based on what I had heard but I was actually a little disappointed. First off, I really didn’t get any truffle flavor. While it used orecchiette pasta (I like this pasta as it holds sauces very well), there wasn’t enough cheese sauce for me. And the pasta was a little too al dente. I really wanted to like it but it didn’t have what makes a good mac n’ cheese in my book.

Decadence on a plate

As my main entree, I was torn between the caviar pizza and the smoked salmon pizzette which also had caviar. I opted for the latter and was not disappointed. The smoked salmon was finely sliced and had a rich smokey flavor. There was just the right amount of soft cream cheese spread on the flatbread crust and the dollops of Transmontanus caviar brought in a delicious fishiness. I felt very posh gnoshing on such a decadent seafood delight.

Steak Pomme Frites

tHusband went for the steak pomme frites. Steak and fried potatoes…his kind of food. The steak was nice and tender and the fries…oh man. I couldn’t stop stealing them off his plate. They were the right thickness, fried to the perfect crispiness while having a fluffy inside. I think these were the most excellent fries I have had so far. A bit of an unexpected find, I must say. Petrossian is not the sort of restaurant I’d expect to find my french fried nirvana.

M is for Moelleux

Not your ordinary brulee

Husband, not having stuffed himself on two appetizers, opted to get a dessert. I couldn’t let him eat alone so while he ordered the chocolate moelleux, I went for the pistachio creme brulee. While we waited, I had to google what “moelleux” was since neither of us knew (it’s an adj meaning “soft”). Turns out, this dessert was a sort of soft chocolate cake served with a side of pistachio encrusted ice cream. Husband proclaimed that he would come back to Petrossian just for this dessert.

I enjoyed the pistachio creme brulee with its wonderful strawberry sauce. The sauce was a nice addition and a pairing I wouldn’t have thought of.

Overall, I was highly impressed with the service at Petrossian and the food. I expected the caviar to be good but was caught off guard by how delicious everything else was. That night, I dreamed not only of little fish eggs but perfect french fries and frothy rich mushroom soup.